We had a busy weekend and today is the first chance I had to pick a winner at random. It’s irondequoit36 of the blog Old Foul Cardboard. So if he can email me back I’ll get one of the hits on out to him.

I don’t know about eveyone else, but I was just not thrilled with this Super Bowl. It featured two teams that I really don’t like, two coaches I think are arrogant @sses, and in the middle of it one of the most boring (and politically incorrect) QBs in Joe Flacco. Toss in the Ray Lewis crap and you can understand why I couldn’t wait for this game to end.

With this win Flacco becomes as collectible as the Mannings / Bady / Rodgers of the world and that is just sad. I still can’t bring myself to put him in that class. To me he is still third fiddle on that team behind Rice and the entire defense. I am sure to get hate mail but really can you honestly tell me he is worth Manning or Brady money? Maybe it’s just that he’s not exciting to watch or that he gives an awful interview, but if I were a Falcons fan and he’s going to eat up 15% of the team payroll, I’d have a problem with that.

Next up Ray Lewis. Thank god his career is over, I don’t think I can stand to listen to one more he murdered people story. It was over 10 years ago, he went through a trial, it’s over. I’m more intrigued by the HGH story that is gaining steam. It’s my opinion that if a report comes out from Yahoo sports, Deadspin or SI and your name is associated with it, you did it. I have no problem believing the Lewis used deer antler velvet spray or holographic stickers. What did he care, this was his last season, the NFL doesn’t test for that specific HGH so do it, get back on the field and retire. I’m just curious how much this will tarnish his HOF bid. Probably not one bit.

All in all it was an exciting Super Bowl even if I was bored by the matchup but I’m really glad it’s put into the rear view mirror at this point! Now we can focus on what really matters, baseball and NFL combine.

The winner of the first giveaway card is CJ. Next up, because work is pretty busy, I’m giving away another hit from the box. All you have to do is leave a comment. Winn er will be announced either tonight (if I have time) or first thing tomorrow, so make sure to get your name in the comments section. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t show up immediately, I approve the comments about 2-3 times a day. GOOD LUCK!

I came home last night to find a box of this sitting on my porch. Brought it in and texted a picture to my wife who texted back, “EXCELLENT!” I usually wait for her to open up these products so that I can get a different perspective on how she feels about the cards. She came home and we tore it open.

Base Cards:

The base cards are broken down as follows:

1 – 30 – Hero cards – These are sketches of players like Howe, Roy and Sundin. I think they look pretty good, however my wife feels they make the players look odd.

31- 50 – CHL Rookies

51 – 86 – OHL players

87 – 114 – QMJHL players

115 – 150 – WHL players

151 – 199 – Class of 2013 players (NHL Draft ready)

The prospect cards are good, with very little change in design over the years. Personally I like the cards because for many of these players these represent their first cards and I have something to mail out for them to sign through the mail.

A typical box should yield at least 70% of the set.

3D Subset:

One word, AWESOME! I haven’t seen too many 3D hockey cards and these are all of the class of 2013. I believe there are 49 of them and they average about two a box. They are on very thick card stock (about the size of a blocker card). Definitely a subset worth chasing in my opinion.

Non-Memorabilia Cards:

These include Memorial Cup match ups, Memorial Cup champions, Subway Series, and Top Prospects. Although the cards are nice and show the rivalries that are so special in hockey, I tend to not like them. For me they are filler preventing me from finishing a base set.

Autograph Cards:

Falling 1:7 packs, you should get 2 – 3 of these in a box. We got two of them. They are very similar to previous years, there are many short prints and extra short prints available. There are just over 160 subjects. All the hero cards are the extra short prints (still trying to find out how many are out there). Hamilton is already on the Bruins (9th overall pick) and Carrier is definitely an up and comer. Overall not a disappointment.

Game Used Cards:

Here is where in the game shines. Usually we get a multi colored jersey and we got two large ones including a silver parallel. They are so thick that they actually bulge out of the card. I do love this about ITG, how they give out the best looking jersey cards. We got three of them including a dual jersey card. The odds are at 1:7 so again you should expect 2 – 3 a box. Domi is going to be an NHLer very soon, Gregoire is going to be a hell of an enforcer, The dual card has two top prospects as well. Overall definitely not a disappointment.

Overall:

With a price tag of $85, you really can’t go wrong. The ITG jersey cards are always a good seller on the secondary market and the autographs provide some players with their very first autograph cards. The 3D cards probably gave me the most enjoyment out of the who experience. I feel as though you do get value for your money.

Giveaway:

Leave a comment about what you like and don’t like about the set and you will win one of the cards from the hits we got. Contest Deadline is 8:00pm 1/31/13

Tell me PK Subban isn’t living the life right now. Already he is one of the sport’s most popular athletes and he plays for the Yankees of the NHL the Montreal Canadiens. Now to top it all off at the end of this year he was going to be a restricted free agent. He’s so popular that he can actually be a contract hold out in a lockout shortened season. Can you even name me the last NHL player to hold out?

His ploy worked and now he is the owner of a nice fat contract that will allow him to get his big payday in two years. For now, the Candiens got a deal on the built like a brick Subban. His contract is a 2 year $5.75 million work of genius. I say that because the Canadiens got one of it’s most popular players locked up for under 3 million a year. That won’t be the case two more years from now when he’ll be a $5 million a year guy.

He is probably the most collectible defensiveman in hockey right now. His autographed cards will set you back anywhere between $35-$75 and he has only been in the league for a little over 2 seasons now. He’s only 23 and he;s only going to get better with age. If he grows into his position and becomes the 20 goal 40 assist guy she displayed in the juniors, I could easily see the value of his cards going up. Below is probably my favorite of his signed cards:

What do you think of PK? Will he ever be the premier D guy in the league or do you see his cards going down in value?

There was a time in the late 90s and early 00s that Iverson was a major player in the world of the NBA. Talk about a human highlight real, he was just fun to watch both on and off the court. When you are elite in the Association, you can get away with a lot of stupid off court behavior. However when your skills start to erode over time, expect to be dismissed quickly when you are the same knucklehead you were when you were 19.

That’s been the life of Iverson since his days in Philly and to some extent Denver. He spent time in Detroit, Memphis and back to Philly where he never survived more than a couple of months because of his antics. I say antics, but in reality he was a guy that felt he was still a superstar, but was brought in to add depth. Everyone knows that Iverson isn’t a superstar anymore, everyone except Iverson.

It’s been almost 3 years since Iverson last played professional basketball. It was with a team in the second tier of the Euroleague. He lasted 2 moths before messing up his calf. The question becomes at 37 even if he plays in the D-League, does it even matter? It’s not like he’ll accept anything but a starting role on a team. And when he doesn’t get his reps on the floor, he is just going to complain more.

I have to say for the sake of everyone, I hope Iverson stays retired. His career has already been tarnished and really other than the usually media circus this kind of event can whip up, does anyone really want or care to see Iverson in the NBA again? I don’t but maybe I’m in the minority. As for his cards, his autographs and game used items still sell strong on the aftermarket. Autographs go for $50+ and game used cards go for $5+, which to me is amazing given what a piece of work he is in real life.